Night of the Red Moon
by Ayingott
Summary: Ryoma is a shinigami. His task is to kill the one who tries to take over the world. It doesn't help that some of the kids from his school accidentally get pulled into this war.
1. Prologue

~I do not own Prince of Tennis, Takeshi Konomi does.~

*****

~Prologue~

The night breeze was making him shudder. His body was covered in sweat and a sharp pain still stayed in his right hand. The injury was slowly fading away, just not too long ago the monsters claws almost ripped it off. He made the twin katana's disappear from his hands, so they wouldn't burden him in this world.

The red color from the moons form still wasn't completely vanished. His golden eyes stayed glued to the red spots on the moon until it regained its white tone. A small sigh escaped from his lips and he leaped down from the building's roof. He landed carefully on the alleyway so that the mortals wouldn't see him and start asking questions. He didn't want to erase their memories, too much work.

He made a black coat appear in his hands and put it on. The night was getting colder now that the interference to this world had ended. He got out of the alleyway and on the main street. Some gave him startled looks but he just continued to walk in the needed direction.

"_It's such a bother being a shinigami. But it's not like I have a choice. _" he thought bitterly to himself before reaching the rundown apartment he lived in. The sign next to the door informed the people that passed by his apartment that someone by the name Echizen Ryoma lived here.

"Tomorrow is going to be a long day." He said and fell asleep on the bed.

*****

The idea I got in my German class. So, comments?


	2. Welcome to Shaia

Welcome to Shaia

The light broke through the dusty windows, landing on the sleeping boy. He shifted a bit and opened his eyes. He scowled at the unpleasant awakening and let his eyes roam around the room.

The room was still dim. There were holes in the walls, and it smelled like mold. The only furniture in thee room was the big, soft bed in the right corner. It was the only piece he'd bought after moving in. The only other room was the bathroom. The kitchenette was next to the door. There was an old fridge, an oven, and a small counter.

He sighed and got up. After stretching he went to the bathroom to take a shower. He dressed quickly and left for school.

*****

Sanada was walking to school with his friends, when someone walked into him. He turned around to see who hadn't been watching where they were walking. A small golden-eyed boy took a step back.

The golden eyed boy sighed and said emotionlessly, "Sorry."

"You don't sound apologetic, brat!"

Ryoma just stared at the purple haired boy and finally said, "Make me, Monkey King," walking around them into the school. (May I suggest changing "Make me, Monkey King." to "Mada mada dane." It sounds more in character.)

Fuji opened his eyes, "Saa, he's an interesting one though. Isn't he, Atobe? I've never seen him before."

"According to my data, he is the new transfer student in Yukimura's and Tezuka's class," Inui chimed in.

The mischievous glint in Yukimura's eyes meant nothing good for the boy. Sanada was glad he wasn't in the same class as Yukimura.

*****

"Class, we have a new transfer student today. He is two years younger than you, but, because of his results on the entrance exams, he has skipped a few grades. Also, he is from America, so don't be surprised by any strange habits." After the teacher finished talking, the door opened and Ryoma came in.

All the eyes were on him. The girls stared at him in awe, while some of the boys started to question their sexuality. The boy's feminine face was framed by messy, shoulder-length, greenish hair. Large, golden, cat-like eyes stood out against his snow white skin, and the cute, pouty, pink lips made his face flawless. His body was shaped much like a girl's, but they could clearly see the muscles on his arms

"Echizen Ryoma, welcome." He bowed and went to the seat at the back of the class room, next to the window. He looked out the window during the lessons, and when the lunch break came, he disappeared.

Yukimura was trying to find the new student, when he heard someone calling him.

"Yukimura, Tezuka, Did you find out something about the new kid?" Fuji asked.

"His name is Echizen Ryoma, and he's from America. Before I could ask anything else, he ran off."

Yukimura sighed.

"Saa. It's ok, Sei-chan! We can just catch him on his way home."

"I guess you're right, Syu-chan."

The other boys shuddered. They didn't like it when the two sadists went into their evil mode.

*****

Meanwhile, Ryoma was sitting on the school roof, looking up at the sky. The sun was darker than it should be, but he was probably the only one that noticed.

"_Che, __the __mortals don't even know that their world is in danger__,_" he thought and laughed.

Even though he called the other people "mortals," it wasn't like he was much better than them. The only difference was that he was born a shinigami.

The sun suddenly became black. Ryoma's eyes widened and he stood up. He cursed as the familiar trembling took over his body. The Red Night was about to start.

In a split second the world had drastically changed. A crimson red moon was now shining in the place of the bright sun. The sky was just a few shades lighter than the moon. Mist covered the ground and buildings. Monster's howling could be heard through the seemingly dead city. Ryoma summoned his katanas, a black one in his left hand and a white one in his right. A black coat now covered his school uniform.

He was about to leap down from the roof, when he heard screams from inside the school.

"Impossible. Humans can't enter," he said to himself, running through the doors in the direction of the screams. He finally spotted the silhouettes of four students that were cornered by three wolf like creatures. He ran faster and in one swift movement cut one of the wolves in half. The creature disappeared. The other two jumped at him but Ryoma dodged and stabbed both of them through their stomachs as they lunged at him a second time. Like the first one, they disappeared.

He stood up straight, sighed for the tenth time that day, and took a look at the four boys. They had stopped trembling and were now looking at him as if he was something holy.

He took a deep breath. "Welcome to Shaia, the hell itself."

*****

I'm not too good at describing the battle moves and such so tell me if you didn't understand something sorry for the cliffhanger. I promise to tell you who the four boys are… in the next chapter.


	3. Meet The Shinigami

Meet the Shinigami

*****

Yukimura was trying to find the new student, when he heard someone calling him.

"Yukimura, Tezuka, Did you find out something about the new kid?" Fuji asked.

"His name is Echizen Ryoma, and he's from America. Before I could ask anything else, he ran off."

Yukimura sighed.

"Saa. It's ok, Sei-chan! We can just catch him on his way home."

"I guess you're right, Syu-chan."

The other boys shuddered. They didn't like it when the two sadists went into their evil mode.

"Let's go eat, and then we can try to find Echizen," Tezuka offered, though they knew it was really an order. Fuji and Yukimura still wanted to go look for him, but they were hungry.

They headed for the school roof since there was a ninety-nine percent chance that no one would be there. They had barely started down the hallway, when four of them froze and paled. They felt a strange tingling feeling that ended almost as soon as it started. They found themselves alone in the empty corridor. All of the other students had disappeared, and the school itself looked as if it had been abandoned for many years. Looking through the window they saw a wasteland. The sky was red, and the moon was in the color of blood. They couldn't see anything that looked alive. The silence was suffocating.

Just as one of them started to ask something, a growl behind them made them turn and freeze in fear. There were three wolf-like creatures behind them. Their fangs covered in slime and blood. They did the only thing they could do. They ran away, screaming.

After few minutes of running and dodging, the monsters had them cornered. As the middle one was about to jump at them, someone cut it in two and it vanished. The same happened to the other two. It happened so fast they couldn't keep up with it. The person stood up. He had a black coat and a sword in each hand. Then he looked at them. The green-tinted hair framed his face nicely and his eyes looked at them with irritation. In front of them stood the new transfer student— Echizen Ryoma.

"Welcome to Shaia, the hell itself."

*****

Ryoma was irritated. Really, really irritated. The whole situation was wrong. Why the hell were Tezuka Kunimitsu, Fuji Syuusuke, Atobe Keigo, and Yukimura Seiichi sitting against the dirty, half destroyed wall and looking at him as if he was a ghost?

"_Which God __do I have to __kill for this?_" Ryoma thought to himself bitterly.

"Echizen-kun, where did you say we are?" Yukimura asked.

Ryoma was a bit surprised that one of them spoke to him, but he answered, "Shaia."

"Ore-sama wishes to know how to get out of here!"

"You can't." Atobe's expression was priceless. His eyes were wide, and his mouth hung open.

"Explain," Tezuka ordered.

Ryoma sighed. "You are in Shaia, another dimension. You can't get out of here willingly. Your world will bring you back. Sooner or later. The monsters that attacked you are called 'nai.' There are different types of them, wolves, birds, fish, and so on. You can try to kill them, but it probably will be the other way around..." He stopped. He hadn't talked this much in a while.

"Why are we here?" Fuji asked

"I don't know. Normal people can't usually enter this world, so I guess there was some kind of mishap when Wizard was chanting the spell."

"Wizard?"

"The one who created this world."

Atobe finally came back to reality. "Who is it?"

Ryoma was suddenly getting a headache. "No one knows. That's why they sent me to find and kill him."

"Why did they, whoever they are, send _you_?"

"Because I'm a shinigami."

"Shinigami? You are?" Tezuka sounded a bit amused. "Prove it to Ore-sama."

Ryoma blinked twice and said, "No."  
Just as Fuji got ready to start playing the let's-see-who-can-piss-off-Echizen-the-fastest-and-get-him-to-show-proof-of-being-a-shinigami game the world around them started to warp. His body was tingling, and again it ended almost instantly. They were back.

*****

Echizen was gone. The school's hallway was full of kids, and in front of them stood Sanada and Inui, talking. It was as if nothing had ever happened.

"What's wrong? You four look pale," Inui observed. "I can give you my latest juice, Super deluxe health drink," if you want." He pulled a cup out of nowhere that contained a mud-like substance in all the colors of the rainbow. They declined.

Tezuka gave them the don't-say-anything look. The other three just nodded, and they followed Sanada and Inui to the roof. The feeling of being trapped and pursued was still with them. They each thought that at any second a monster would come and attack them from the shadows or around the corner. They really needed to find Echizen and talk to him again.

*****

"Stupid boss. 'Just put up with them,' he says." Ryoma was not in a good mood. He had just contacted his bosses to tell them about the mishap. Now he was supposed to baby-sit the four boys. He decided to teleport home and go to bed before his day got even more fucked up. He had had enough for one day.

Ryoma knew that they would come to find him for more information later.

"_Oh well. __Maybe, __if I'm lucky__, they'll __think that __it was a hallucination __or something._"

*****


	4. The Other Half of Me

The Other Half of Me

*****

Ryoma stumbled into the room and fell onto the bed. He didn't bother to lock the doors. He was panting, and his head hurt so much that he couldn't even think straight. His body was burning and shook fiercely. The side effects of using his powers without his spirit holder were painful. The sickness would probably end by morning, but sometimes it would last even longer or wouldn't even come at all. He had to find the spirit holder soon so that he could use his real powers.

He had acquired a picture of his spirit holder, a fluffy white cat with brown ears, paws, face, and tail. The cat had blue eyes and a collar with a pink jewel hanging from it. That was most likely where the spirit power was. But in his current condition he couldn't do anything! He could only hope that the side effects would disappear soon.

*****

The school day had ended, and the fact that Ryoma hadn't shown up for the rest of the day made the boys anxious. Atobe, using his wealth and power, got the available information about Echizen. He lived close, so they headed to his place right after school.

So now they stood in front of the damaged brown doors, wondering if they were really at the right place. A few people were staring at them. Why were there four good-looking boys at this run-down apartment? Tezuka took a deep breath and, after holding his breath for a moment, let out a heavy sigh. He knocked on the doors. The four boys stared at the door, waiting for a response, any kind of noise that would indicate that someone was inside. Atobe, being the diva he was, couldn't wait any longer and grabbed the rusted handle, trying to open the door. Surprisingly, the door had been left open. Yukimura was the first to go into the dark room. Ragged breathing cut through the dusty air. Yukimura slowly headed to the source of the panting. Fuji went to one of the windows to open it and let some light would come in. Once the curtains were moved, the view was troubling.

The apartment was unkempt and dusty; there was no furniture, save the bed. The owner of the small room was sprawled on the bed, sweating and panting. When Yukimura placed a hand on his forehead, checking his temperature, his eyes widened a fraction and he exclaimed, "Dear God, he's burning up! We have to take him to the hospital!"

Tezuka was next to Yukimura in two steps and crouched down to pick Ryoma up, when Ryoma grabbed his hand. He said something, barely above a whisper, but Tezuka had good hearing. He heard a few of the words and got the idea.

"Don't… hospital… fine… sleep… explain… later…"

After that his hand fell onto the bed, obviously unconscious again. The stoic teen looked at the boy before saying, "We will take him to Atobe's. If gets worse, we will take him to the hospital. Besides," he added after looking at the others "he has to tell us more about that thing we experienced today."

The others reluctantly agreed. Fuji searched around the apartment for some clothes, while Atobe called his chauffer and went with Tezuka to put Ryoma in the car that arrived. Yukimura called their parents to tell them that they would be staying the night at Atobe's.

*****

Ryoma slowly opened his eyes. The only thing he saw were the dark silhouettes of the furniture around his bed, which gave him unpleasant feelings, and the silk sheets on the bed definitely were not his.

"_I remember getting home, collapsing __on __the bed… There was someone talking about hospitals and then it's all black._" He sighed and sat up. After looking around for a moment, he slid out of the bed and made his way to the door.

The room was huge! He was tired just from walking to the door.

"The bastard that owns this house has too much free time and too much money to spend."

As he raised his hand to open the door, someone from the other side did it for him. Now he stood face-to-face with Fuji. For a moment they stood there looking at each other, Ryoma wide eyed and a bit dumbfounded, Fuji a bit startled. Slowly Fuji's lips curved into a smile. The kind of smile that made Ryoma want to run away and hide in a closet and never come out.

Fuji grabbed Ryoma's hand and pulled him out in the corridor. They walked for about five minutes. Ryoma wondered how Fuji actually remembered the way, that is, if he knew where he was going. Fuji pushed Ryoma into a library. The room was large, and bookshelves lined the walls. The fire in the fireplace was making mysterious shadows dance on the walls and floor. The three boys that were in the room looked up from what they were doing as Fuji led him to them. Ryoma was forcefully seated on a loveseat.

"Echizen-kun, will you please tell us about yourself? We already know about Shaia," Yukimura asked in a sweet, sugar-coated voice.

"Ore-sama agrees with Yukimura."

"… Fine," Ryoma sighed. "My name is Echizen Ryoma. I'm a shinigami."

"What exactly is a shinigami?" Tezuka questioned.

"A shinigami is a human with special powers. I can summon things from far away, and my wounds heal quickly. I can teleport, if I want to. Usually I can do more, but I don't have my spirit holder, so I can't."

"What is a spirit holder?" Fuji questioned.

"That is something that helps me stabilize my powers, increases my endurance, and eliminates the side effects." Seeing that Atobe had already opened his mouth to say something, he added, "The side effects can be different, but mostly it's uncontrollable shivering, shortness of breath, high fever, inability to think or speak clearly, and pain. It usually ends after a while, so there's nothing to worry about."

Atobe, Tezuka, Fuji and Yukimura thought over the information they had just received, then Atobe said, "Judging from the condition that we found you in, Ore-sama guesses that you don't have that spirit thing."

"No, I don't. That is why I have to go look for it."

"So you know what it looks like?"

"Hnn." Ryoma raised a hand, and a black hole appeared in the air. He pushed his hand into it and then pulled it out, holding a picture.

"This cat is the one I have to find."

Keigo took the picture said, "Ore-sama will take care of it."

"Ne, Ryoma-chan, can we help you find that wizard? You could stay here," Yukimura offered.

Ryoma twitched when he was called "Ryoma-chan." He wanted to say no, but the bosses had told him to baby-sit them, and they did offer to help. He closed his eyes and sighed tiredly. He nodded. When he opened his eyes again, Fuji and Yukimura were jumping around like little girls that had just found out that unicorns were real, while Keigo had disappeared.

"_I hate my life._"

*****

A/N: I did it! I wrote the chapter! I would have updated faster, but my brain refused to develop ideas, and then I changed the plot because I didn't like the original development anymore.

So now my brain hurts, but it's worth it!!


	5. Shadow

Shadow

*****

Three days had passed and Ryoma was forcefully moved into Atobe mansion. Atobe's men were still searching for the cat, which was surprisingly hard to find.

Ryoma was training with his katanas in the large garden behind the mansion. There were many different species of flowers and plants. The shady corner that Ryoma was occupying was hidden from the nosy eyes of gardeners and the four pain-in-the-butt teens.

He slowly changed his position and spun the katanas in his palms.

Inhale.

Exhale.

The katanas flew into the air. His hands collided with the ground, and he lifted his body up. Ryoma spun his body and his legs kicked outwards. He landed on his feet and caught the weapons that had started to fall.

Inhale.

Exhale.

"My, Ryoma-chan, that was a nice performance!" Yukimura clapped his hands and laughed.

Ryoma glared at them and resumed his training. The two sadists sat down on the grass, Tezuka leaned against the tree that provided the nice shade and Keigo sat on a dark brown chair.

After a short moment of silence Tezuka spoke, "Echizen."

"What?" Ryoma looked at Tezuka, clearly annoyed.

"Why are your katanas different colors?"

Ryoma didn't say anything. This is the first time that someone actually wanted to know about his weapons. Even in the organization everyone tried to avoid the subject.

"As far as I know they were used as seals… To seal nai that got into this world. The boss just made me take them, so that's all I know."

Tezuka wanted to say or ask something else, but the ringing of Atobe's phone interrupted him. Atobe flipped the phone open and answered the call. After few short sentences he smirked, looked up at Ryoma, and said, "They found the fur ball."

*****

They made their way to one of the guest rooms, where Atobe's people with the cat were. When the door opened, the furry animal jumped out of the agent's lap and made its way to Ryoma. The teen crouched down and picked up the cat. They had a short staring contest before Ryoma spoke.

"Karupin."

"Mreow!"

Ryoma smiled a little and said, "I'm glad you like it."

Other occupants of the room were a bit stunned by the odd conversation. Yukimura smiled a bit wider, while Syuusuke took pictures with his camera. Ryoma was starting to wonder if he could summon things as well.

Darkness covered the room and the tingling feeling over took their bodies. Just as they thought that the feeling was too much it ended. The room was destroyed and pieces of furniture were lying around everywhere.

They were in Shaia.

"And here Ore-sama thought that Ore-sama would never again return here."

"Stop whining, Atobe!"

"Saa… I hope that this time we will be able to see something fun!"

"I would like that!"

Ryoma vowed to someday kill his boss for making him responsible for them. In a very, very painful way. Like feeing him to nai. Or telling his wife about Max.

At least he had Karupin now.

"Let's move. If we stay here, we will be attacked."

The four teens followed Ryoma, while Karupin clung to his shoulder.

*****

They had been walking around for a long time. Their watches didn't work so they couldn't tell exactly for how long.

Shadows of large flying beasts sometimes appeared on the ground, and howls could be heard around them. The feeling of being watched and followed only got stronger with each step.

Ryoma had found some dark clothes in the mansion for them to wear, while he had his black coat on. He said that the bright colored clothes they were wearing would only attract unwanted nai.

As they were walking, a lizard-like nai jumped in front of them, hissing. Its body was covered in red scales and the tongue that flickered in and out of its mouth was dark blue. Its white eyes focused on them and it let out a sharp screech. Hundreds of identical nai appeared and started attacking them.

Just when they thought that it was the end, a large black shadow covered them, preventing the nai from attacking them. Ryoma was outside of the barrier, and they couldn't see what was happening because of how dark it was.

After a moment the barrier disappeared. Ryoma stood in the middle of a sea of black blood. Karupin was still on his shoulder and his katanas were in his hands. They also saw shadows returning to the ground and the fleeing forms of nai.

"How did you…" Yukimura started but couldn't finish his question.

"Like I said, if I have Karupin, I can use all of my powers."

*****

"_How did you…"_

"_Like I said, if I have Karupin, I can use all of my powers."_

The one that had been watching the five figures moving around his world laughed his horrifying laugh. "He _actually_ fought them off!"

His arms and face were wrapped in bandages and he was wearing red clothing. The chains that hung from his pants and cape had blood on them.

The only light that came into the room was from the moon. The walls had been painted with the blood of nai and humans that had wandered into his world.

"Zen! Get your ass in here right now!"

Zen came into the room and bowed. Her face was hidden by her hood and black hair.

"Your new assignment is to kidnap one of them." Wizard pointed at the screen where they could see the five boys. "It would be great if you could get me the one with the cat on his shoulder, but if you can't, then one of the others will be fine too."

"Understood, Wizard-sama."

She walked out of the room, starting to plan her next move.

Wizard was laughing to himself. Oh what a wonderful coincidence it was! Just as he was trying to think up a new way to entertain himself, they showed up, and the shinigami was with them. It couldn't be more perfect!

"I hope you enjoy your time here…"

His cold, terrifying laughter once again pierced the surrounding silence.

*****

A/N: I UPDATED! FINALLY!

I didn't have the inspiration to write this chapter for a while, but then it came to me when I was in my math lesson.

Who do you think Wizard is?

I would also like to say "Thank you!!" to all the readers who reviewed!

I would have done it sooner but I always forgot to. Gomenasai!


	6. They Meet

~They Meet~

The five boys and a cat had been walking around for a long time. Everyone, except Ryoma and Karupin (because he was sitting on Ryoma's shoulder) were exhausted and wanted to rest for a moment.

'_The moment you stay in one place longer than necessary nai will find you. _' Ryoma had said.

"Ne, Ryoma-chan, where are we going?" Yukimura asked.

"There." Ryoma pointed to something that looked like a collapsed building from afar.

The walls where badly damaged and they could see teeth and claw marks on the walls, that where still standing, and floor. After seeing the raided rooms they (minus Ryoma and Karupin) finally recognized that it used to be a mall.

Ryoma made them wait while he goes to find some food for them. So, while he was gone Tezuka had sat down, taken off his glasses and closed his eyes. Atobe was trying to find a mirror and the two sadists sat in a corner and were silently discussing something.

"Ne, Yuki-chan, who do you think is Wizard?"

"Hmm… It would be weird if he was someone that we know."

"I wish that he would turn out to be Mizuki…"

Yukimura smirks and looks at Fuji.

"You really hate him don't you."

"THERE. ISN'T. A. SINGLE. MIRROR. IN. THIS. ROOM. WHY!?"

"Yudan sezu ni iko, Atobe."

"Oh, shut up, Tezuka." Atobe grumbled.

Yukimura and Fuji were giggling in their corner and Atobe glared at them.

*****

Ryoma was walking around the deserted building and looking for something that they could eat.

So far he had no luck; he only found some weak nai and that was about it.

The presence of someone dangerous made him turn around and come face-to-face with hooded woman. The long, black hair moved as the cold wind blew through the empty windowpanes.

Ryoma summoned his katanas and spoke:

"Who are you and what do you want?"

"You only need to know that I'm here on Wizard-sama's task, shinigami."

Ryoma didn't like this, so he continued to ask her questions.

"What kind of task?"

The mysterious woman only laughed and said, before vanishing:

"You will soon find out."

Ryoma made the katanas disappear, grabbed Karupin from his shoulder and ran back to the room where he left the four boys.

He didn't want to admit it, but in the past few days he got attached to them, even thou Atobe got on his nerves, the sadists freaked him out and Tezuka was boring. Somewhere along the way he has started to think of them as friends.

But Ryoma would rather go and French kiss few thousand nai than tell it out loud.

*****

When she appeared, out of nowhere, in the middle of the room, I was resting my eyes and trying to ignore Atobe, Yukimura and Fuji. The three of them together could drive anyone insane.

I wish Sanada, or Echizen would be here. At least then someone could feel my pain and I wouldn't have to suffer alone.

The sudden quiet caught my attention and I put my glasses on and opened my eyes.

She was standing there, probably looking at us, I couldn't tell because of the hood, and she had a whip in her hand.

After looking around the room she grabbed the closes person to her, in this case me, and then I lost my conciseness.

*****

Zen had just taken Tezuka when Ryoma stormed into the room. She whipped the whip in Ryoma's direction, but he dodged it by crouching down. Then he ran to her with only the back katana out.

Even with Tezuka in her arms Zen moved pretty fast and dodged almost all of Ryoma's attacks. The fact that Ryoma was also controlling the shadows and making them swallow her did not help.

Zen cursed under her breath and jumped out of one of the windows and vanished together with Tezuka.

"Who was that and why did she take Tezuka?" Fuji asked, his voice still held a tinge of fear.

"One of Wizards servants probably. As to the other question, I don't know. She told me that Wizard sent her here on a task." Ryoma answered.

"She told you? When?" this time it was Yukimura, Atobe had fainted and Fuji was now trying to wake him up.

"While I was looking for something to eat. Anyway, we have to move and get Tezuka back, before they do something to him."

Atobe was now awake enough to say something:

"Ore-sama refuses to leave this place; Ore-sama has had enough of creepy women, monsters and dimensions, or whatever this place is."

"Well then, you can stay here, while we go rescue Tezuka." Fuji and Yukimura said at the same time.

"Move it or I'll leave you here!" Ryoma said. He was already in the hallway, whit Karupin on his shoulder again.

"Meow, meow."

"That's right, Karupin. They really are a nuisance."

"Meow."

"No, you are my partner."

"Purr, purr."

"I like you too."

Fuji and Yukimura really wanted to know how they do that. Atobe just decided to pretend that he's dreaming and play along with all of it.

*****

Wizard grabbed Tezuka by the hair and pulled his head up, so he could see his face.

"Heeh.. So you took this one, huh? I would still prefer the one with the cat, but this one will do."

He laughed to himself and after letting go of Tezuka went to the screen that showed the four boys that were running to his place.

"I will be enjoying myself today! HAHAHAHAHA!!!"

Zen only stood there and waited for Wizards orders. When he finally stopped laughing he turned around and said:

"Zen, go get the nai and make them attack the brats, while I have some fun with this one." He kicked Tezuka in the stomach and earned a wince from him.

"I understood, Wizard-sama." Zen bowed and left the room.


	7. We're Coming

~We're Coming~

"_Zen, go get the nai and make them attack the brats, while I have some fun with this one." He kicked Tezuka in the stomach and earned a wince from him._

"_I understood, Wizard-sama." Zen bowed and left the room._

*****

"How much longer do we have to run? I'm about to faint!"

"I don't know, Yukimura-sempai. We just have to follow Karupin until we find Wizards lair."

"Ore-sama needs a bath!"

"Atobe, do us a favor and shut up, will you!" Fuji snapped.

Atobe just pouted, but kept his mouth shut and continued to follow Karupin like the rest of them.

Why were they following Karupin, you want to ask?

Because Karupin somehow was able to smell Tezuka's, or maybe Zen's, scent and informed them, actually just Ryoma, who in turn told the other three, to follow her.

So now they were running as fast as they could, except Ryoma, to keep in the same peace as Karupin. They were also sudden nai attacks, but Ryoma took care of them.

"They are getting stronger." Ryoma said, after another 20 or so nai were killed.

"Does that mean that we are getting closer?" Yukimura asked.

"Probably."

Suddenly Atobe said something that was actually worth listening to:

"Ore-sama can see something towerish* over there." And he pointed in a random direction.

Everyone looked at the random direction that Atobe pointed and saw a silhouette of what seemed to be a building. Karupin was also heading in that direction, so there were no doubts when Yukimura said the same thing that all of them were thinking.

"I think, that is the place where Tezuka is."

"Come on, let's hurry up then!" Ryoma said and after picking up Karupin started to run again, with Yukimura, Fuji and Atobe right after him.

*****

Zen was standing on a huge rock and silently breathing the cold air. Her whip safely in her hand, ready to use.

She could feel the sinigami's presence getting closer and closer with every second.

She opened her eyes and turned around to face the nai that had gathered here, just like Wizard ordered them to do.

"Attack." She said and the nai suddenly were gone. Behind her the shapeless shadows moved to greet the four intruders.

*****

"Where the hell did they come from?!" Atobe screamed.

"How the hell should we know Atobe?" Fuji and Yukimura said at the same time.

They were hidden in a ball of darkness, just like when they had just arrived in Shaia. And just like that time, they couldn't hear or see anything that could somehow inform them of the things happening outside of the barrier.

The nai that where attaching him were strong. Really, really strong.

He made the katana's disappear and made the shadows around him form the shape of a scythe and also, at the same time, attack nai.

He was avoiding and attacking nai the best way he could, but the fact that he also had to protect the three teens was not helping him.

Thankfully the shadows swallowed most of the nai and he killed the ones that were left over.

Finally he could make the scythe disappear and take the barrier off too.

"Is it ok now?" Fuji quietly asked as if any loud noise would make the nai appear again.

"I think so. At least Karupin said its ok." Ryoma answered and sat on the nearest rock to calm down a bit.

Then Yukimura asked: "By the way, where is Karupin?"

"All around you."

"I don't get it."

"She is a part of the shadows."

The dumbfounded expressions on their faces were priceless. Ryoma even started to laugh just by looking at them. Even Atobe was lost of words.

Ryoma, still snickering to himself, stood up and said: ""We should get going. Who knows what's happening to Tezuka-sempai right now."

*****

At the same time Wizard was staring at Tezuka, who was now awake. The smile on his face was clearly telling Tezuka that whatever Wizard has planned for him will hurt.

"Now then, Tezuka Kunimitsu-kun, should we have some fun?" Wizards voice was cold and Tezuka could hear mockery in every single word that left his mouth. But strangely, his voice sounded so familiar to Tezuka.

The black eyes that watched his every move seemed familiar to him, but he just couldn't understand why. The longer he stared at Wizard the more familiar he seemed to him.

Wizard smirked at him: "You seem to be confused about something."

At the same time he got up from the chair he was sitting on and came closer to Tezuka.

"I would be happier if the cute shinigami was in your place, but I guess you will have to do."

Then suddenly something clicked in Tezuka's head and the sudden realization made him gape.

"S-Sanada?" he whispered, just loud enough for Wizard to hear.

"Finally figured it out, huh?" Sanada said and took off his mask.

*****

*I know that 'towerish' is not an actual word, but forgive me this once?

Ok, this is one ridiculously short chapter, and I'm very sorry about that!

To make up for it I present you my omake corner for 'Night of the Red Moon'.

Enjoy!

OMAKE.

Zen was standing on a huge rock and silently breathing the cold air. Her whip safely in her hand, ready to use.

She could feel the sinigami's presence getting closer and closer with every second.

She opened her eyes and watched the far ahead with blank eyes and then suddenly said:

"I forgot to take a bath today…" turned around to face the nai that had gathered here, just like Wizard ordered them to do.

"Make me a warm bath, NOW!!" She said and the nai suddenly were gone. Behind her the shapeless shadows moved to find a bath.

*****

Then Yukimura asked: "By the way, where is Karupin?"

"In me."

"I don't get it."

"I ate her."

The dumbfounded expressions on their faces were priceless. Even Atobe was lost of words.

*****

Then suddenly something clicked in Tezuka's head and the sudden realization made him gape.

"O-Oishi?" he whispered, just loud enough for Wizard to hear.

"Finally figured it out, huh?" Oishi said and took off his mask. "Well have a nice therapy session now, Tezuka." Oishi said and started to laugh maniacally.

"Oh God. Someone help me!!! PLEASE!!!!!"

*****

Well, that's all minna-san, I hope you had fun reading the omake corner and will be waiting for the next chapter!


	8. Is This The End?

A/N: Now then, I have updated faster than expected. Why? Because I'm sick and can't go to school. Oh the joy of being sick! XD

Well, whatever… Thanks to that I have so much free time that I can at least write new chapters and so on.

Some of the few (3) reviewers were surprised that Sanada is the big, bad Wizard…

And guess what?! Actually me too! At first I had planned to make Mizuki the bad one, but then I figured that he is too obvious and tried to choose between Tachibana and Kite.

And now he turned out to be Sanada… -.- Sometimes I don't get myself..

But the strange thing is… Sanada somehow fits in the Wizard roll. It's as if he was born.. err.. made? to be Wizard…

And Ryoma's powers are the ones I wished I had since I watched x-men movie. XD

On with the story!!!!

*****

~Is This The End?~

"_S-Sanada?" he whispered, just loud enough for Wizard to hear._

"_Finally figured it out, huh?" Sanada said and took off his mask._

*****

"Sanada… Why?" Tezuka asked. Sanada was one of his friends, but now it suddenly turns out that he's the Wizard.

He knows that what he sees is real, but he refuses to believe it. The feeling is similar to the one he felt few seconds ago. He knew the eyes and voice, but just couldn't remember their owner.

"Why?"

Sanada looked at him and smiled.

But it wasn't the kind or irritated kind of smile he usually used. It was one of pure evil. Tezuka shivered from the smile alone and the way Sanada spoke was cruel and cold.

"Why? HAH!! Simple, Tezuka. I found some old spell books, chanted some of the spells and created this world. It's not perfect jet, but will be, when I destroy the real one and then combine the left over parts with Shaia. HAHAHAHAHAAAA!!"

Tezuka just couldn't understand what Sanada was saying. The Sanada he saw now was not the Sanada he knew.

"What happened to you?"

"What happened? Nothing happened, Tezuka! I had always been like this, I just didn't show you the real me." Sanada said.

He was about to say something else, but the loud crash and the pain filled scream from the outside made both of them look at one of the windows.

"Tch. That shitty Shinigami took care of Zen already, huh?" Sanada said and then he smiled once more and grabbed Tezuka's hair to yank him from the floor.

"I hope they come here soon! Hehehehehe!"

*****

They finally reached Wizards lair and Zen knew that she had to stop the Shinigami, before taking care of the humans.

"We meet again, Shinigami." She said.

"That we do." Ryoma replied, at the same time trying to find the entrance to the building behind Zen.

The shadows/Karupin were already gathering around him and forming the scythe.

"You go in. I'll take care of her." Ryoma said to the three exhausted teens and motioned to the black doors, just behind Zen.

Zen snarled and, without any warning, attacked Ryoma. He grabbed the scythe and blocked he whip, but didn't notice the long, sharp nails and couldn't avoid them.

He pushed her back and then touched his left cheek. He made a face because of the sting. The five shallow cuts were slowly starting to bleed a little, but he didn't pay any attention to them now.

This time he attacked first. The shadows swallowed his figure and when they disappeared he was gone.

Zen looked around trying to get a hold of his presence, but something blocked it.

Then Ryoma appeared right before her and swung his scythe and cut her back. Zen screamed and fell on the ground, bleeding and panting heavily.

She tried to get up, but Ryoma pushed her back on the ground.

She hissed in pain and managed to say something before blacking out.

"You won't beat Wizard-sama, huh?" Ryoma smirked and looked around.

Atobe, Fuji and Yukimura were gone and they were the only ones here. He bent down slightly and said:

"Sorry, but I don't think that Wizard-_sama _is strong enough to actually fight."

And then he got his foot off her, at the same time Karupin appeared on his shoulder and meowed.

"I know, I know." Ha said while patting her head, "We should go."

*****

The three of them were running through the mansion like house, searching for Tezuka.

After Zen attacked Ryoma they used the chance to slip away and go in the building.

For the time being they haven't found Tezuka or Wizards, but then again they are probably together in one of the rooms.

The finally reached the last floor, just as they heard Zen scream, and went to stand in front of the only door and after hesitating for a moment, Fuji yanked them open. The sight they saw surprised them so much, that they couldn't even move.

Tezuka was tied up and had few bruises on his face and hands. A katana was pointed at his throat and the person holding it was sitting and watching them with interest.

"Sanada?" Atobe finally managed to get out.

Sanada smirked, but didn't say anything.

"You.. Why are you here?!" Fuji asked, even thou he already could guess the answer.

"Me? I'm just enjoying the show and having a little fun with Tezuka, that's all." Sanada poked Tezuka's throat with the katana and watched with humor as the three teens gasped slightly.

"But then again, Tezuka doesn't seem to enjoy this."

"Stop it!" Yukimura begged.

Sanada laughed his cold laugh and asked: "Why should I?"

"Because, Tezuka is your friend and so are we!" Fuji almost yelled.

"Well sorry, but I never thought of you as my friends, so I don't care."

Sanada got up and went closer to Tezuka. He was about to stab him with the katana, when a dagger came flying at him.

It pierced his arm and he dropped the katana. He hissed in pain and looked at the one who did it.

"SHINIGAMI!!" he roared and glared at Ryoma. Ryoma and Karupin glared back.

Using this chance Fuji and Yukimura sneaked next to Tezuka and began to untie him. Atobe was helping then, at the same time keeping an eye on Ryoma and Sanada. Partly, because he wanted to know what will happen and partly, because he didn't want Sanada to notice them.

The first one to speak was Ryoma: "So Sanada, or should I say, Wizard, how about sending them home?" he asked, while pointing at Yukimura, Fuji, Atobe and Tezuka, that was finally untied.

"HAH!! You think that I'll just send them back, like nothing happened? AS IF!"

"Well then. I guess I'll just have to help you." Ryoma smirked and went to one of the tables. He picked up a book.

Sanada's eyes widened and he shouted:

"Put that down! NOW!!"

Ryoma smirked some more and said: "Yadda!" After that he opened the book and started to chant some kind of spell and pointed at the four teens.

For them the world suddenly started to turn black, their bodies became numb and they felt like someone was trying to choke them.

The last thing they saw was Ryoma's smile and then they returned home.

When they were gone Ryoma closed the book and looked at Sanada.

"Let's start, shall we?"

*****

I hope it wasn't too rushed or anything. I apologize, if you think it is.

Well, the next chapter will be the last one and I hope I'll get it done by the end of next week!

But for the time being, I think I'll go and sleep for a bit.


	9. Hello Again

I couldn't stop myself from writing this chapter a bit later!

The final chapter…

Anyway, I would like to thank all the nice people that reviewed and gave me the motivation to continue, there wasn't much of them, but I appreciate it anyway.

So.. The last chapter…

*****

~Hello Again~

Sanada stood up, sword in hand, and glared at Ryoma and his cat. Yukimura, Fuji, Tezuka and Atobe were back in their own world, safe. So now, it was only him and Ryoma. Neither Zen on nai could help him now.

His chains clanked as he moved around the room. Ready to attack.

Ryoma was also armed with his katana's and shadows/Karupin.

He watched every move that Sanada made and waited for him to attack.

"Shinigami, why are you trying to stop me?" Sanada asked, at the same time moving closer to Ryoma.

Ryoma didn't answer right away.

'_Why am I doing this? Because boss said so? Because he was ordered to do so?_'

He couldn't find the right answer, but he also didn't have the time to pounder over it because Sanada attacked.

Ryoma blocked the attack with his white katana and swung the black one across Sanada's stomach. Sanada stumbled backwards and put his free hand on his stomach. After taking it away and looking at it he snarled and attacked again.

This time Ryoma dodged it and stabbed Sanada in the back with his white katana. This time he screamed and bumped in the unstable wall because Ryoma kicked him from behind.

He turned around and while leaning against the wall, took the forgotten spell book form the table.

Ryoma's eyes widened and before he could do anything a powerful spell hit him in the chest and he flew backward, but the shadows caught him before he came in touch with something.

"Damn it." Ryoma cursed and made the shadows attack Sanada before he has manages to chant another spell.

Just as the shadow swallowed Sanada another spell hit him and this time he felt as if thousand of swords pierced his body over and over again.

Ryoma screamed in agony before collapsing on the dirty floor.

"You will die with me, Shinigami!!!" Ryoma heard Sanada yell, before the darkness overcame him.

Shaia began to crumble and fall apart.

The moon was now completely white.

The red had disappeared.

The battle was finally over.

He won.

*****

It had been a month now.

One month ago they returned from Shaia.

In the real world nothing had happened and it was as if they had never been gone. No one knew about Shaia and Sanada and Ryoma and Nai and Zen and the danger that the word was exposed to.

Yukimura, Tezuka, Atobe and Fuji continued their daily routine and acted like always, but actually they were worried. They wanted to know what happened in Shaia after they came back home.

They wanted to see Ryoma again.

One month had passed and they still hadn't seen Ryoma or Karupin.

Until one day.

They walked around in some kind of park and talked.

"Ne Shu-chan, what do you think happened?" Yukimura asked for the hundredth time.

"Who knows Sei-chan."

"Ore-sama wants to see the brat again."

Tezuka didn't say anything. He was thinking of all the possibilities and what if's and wondering about Ryoma.

They talked and thought only about Ryoma and Shaia sine the return.

Suddenly a fluffy white cat with brown spots ran past them. A very, very familiar fluffy white cat with brown spots.

"Karupin!" Fuji said out loud and the cat turned around to look at them.

Blue eyes met blue eyes and Karupin meowed before starting to run again.

They looked at each other and followed the cat in hopes of finding his owner.

Karupin ran to person sleeping under a big tree and climbed in his lap. The person patted the cat and looked up to find four teens looking at him as if he was a ghost.

The person smirked and said: "Yo."

*****

That's it folks!

I hope you all liked it and if you still have questions (and I'm sure you do ^^) feel free to ask me in reviews!

But review even if you don't have any questions, I'll be happy if you do!

Another thing: I'll write a new story soon, but I can't decide about which pairing to write it about, so go to my profile and vote for the one you would like to read about.

Please and thank you!


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